Willroth Consulting

09/02/2026

“In Arkansas, the move affects four hospitals — CHI St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock, CHI St. Vincent North in Sherwood, CHI St. Vincent Morrilton and CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs — as well as 80 medical clinics, more than 300 employed healthcare providers and a number of other providers who are affiliated with CHI St. Vincent.”

CHI St. Vincent is no longer a part of the Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield system, the health insurer announced Tuesday morning.

09/01/2026

SAMHSA has awarded $77 million in new grant funding to strengthen the nation's behavioral health system, spanning substance use prevention, treatment and recovery, community mental health, su***de prevention, and crisis services.

Thank you SAMHSA

🆕 SAMHSA awards $77M in new grant funding to strengthen substance use prevention, treatment and recovery, community mental health, su***de prevention, and crisis services.

Learn more: samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20260831/samhsa-awards-77-million-strengthen-behavioral-health-services

09/01/2026

Yesterday I showed you three empty chairs. Here's who filled them.

At EMPOWER 2026 in Kansas City, three leaders in our field took the stage together:

Mr. Terrence Walton, Executive Director of NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals

Mr. Mark Attanasi, Executive Director of the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC)

Mr. Pete Nielsen, President & CEO of the National Behavioral Health Association of Providers (NBHAP)

The idea echoed by all three is one every addiction professional needs to hear: our profession is facing a real risk of obsolescence, and protecting its future will take deliberate effort at the state level, the federal level, and from these three national organizations themselves.

One line captured the stakes:

💬 "If you don't have a seat at the table, you are on the menu."

The conversation explored what it means for these organizations to move forward together, from working side by side to finding alignment on common goals. It was a thoughtful exchange about how groups with distinct missions can support a shared purpose while each keeping its own role.

From my lens, this is what this photo represents to me.

A single conversation on a conference stage is a start, not a solution. The urgency is real, and the risk to our field is not theoretical. What matters now is that this dialogue continues, and continues soon. Our profession cannot afford for this to be a one-time moment. We need these organizations to carry it forward, and we need to stay engaged in making sure it happens.

The concern we share is clear. The next step is keeping this conversation alive. 💙

09/01/2026

Free IN PERSON Training for Arkansas Addiction & Behavioral Health Professionals!

Documentation is one of the most important, and most underestimated, skills in our field. Strong clinical records protect our clients, support our teams, and strengthen the integrity of the work we do every day.

If you are an addiction or behavioral health professional in Arkansas, here is a free opportunity worth your time.

"Substance Use Disorder Documentation Best Practices"
Facilitated by Dan Bizjak, LCSW, CSAC, ICS, who brings more than 20 years of hands-on experience and a genuinely engaging, practical teaching style.

Date: Tuesday, 22 September 2026
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Location: UA Little Rock, Donaghey Student Center, Ledbetter Hall
Cost: FREE and in person
Continuing Education: Earn six (6) NAADAC-approved CEs!

You will walk away with practical tools for clinically sound documentation, treatment planning, clinical supervision records, and continued professional growth.

Seats are limited, so register early! 👇https://www.midsouth.ualr.edu/wconnect/ace/CourseStatus.awp?&course=C26CE014

UALR / Midsouth is an approved education provider for NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals

08/31/2026

Three chairs. Three seats. One moment that could make HISTORY. 👀

Take a good look at this photo…

Because you won’t believe who will be sitting in these chairs.

Something BIG is about to happen at EMPOWER 2026 — NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals Annual Conference in Kansas City.

These aren’t just chairs.

They’re about to become the setting for a conversation you’ll be talking about long after the conference ends.

🎤 Who do YOU think will be sitting here?

08/31/2026

Today's the day!

I'm presenting this afternoon at EMPOWER 2026: the NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals Annual Conference.

Join me for my breakout session, Opioid Use Disorder and Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Clinical Practice, today, Monday, 31 August, 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM CT in the Sheraton Grand Ballroom.

We'll take an advanced, evidence-based look at OUD and the clinical use of methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, and withdrawal management.

Pull up on me! Earn up to 40 CEs!

08/30/2026

Tomorrow's the day!

Connect with me at EMPOWER 2026: the NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals Annual Conference and tune into my breakout session, Opioid Use Disorder and Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Clinical Practice.

Monday, 31 August from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM CT in the Sheraton Grand Ballroom.

An advanced, evidence-based look at OUD and the clinical use of methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, and withdrawal management. Not registered yet? There's still time at www.naadac.org/annualconference.

Earn up to 40 CEs! See you there.

08/29/2026

Ask me how to save $20 on your NAADAC membership.

We are at EMPOWER 2026, the NAADAC, The Association for Addiction Professionals Annual Conference, 29 to 31 August in Kansas City, MO, and there is $20 off on the table for you.

Already a member? You save $20 whether or not you are up for renewal.
Not a member yet? Join now and take the same $20 off.

Use code MEMBERSHIP-20OFF, valid through 3 September. You must sign up while at the conference to get the savings.

Stop by the membership booth and see Carol Logan, or find me, Abby Willroth, Membership Committee Chair, with any questions.

08/21/2026

ASK A SAP!®

"RTD Test Eligible" in the Clearinghouse does not mean someone is cleared to run your test. Here is why that matters.

The Clearinghouse can show a driver as return-to-duty eligible. But it never shows the one thing needed to actually run the test: the prescribed test type, whether it is drug, alcohol, or both.

That detail lives only in the SAP reports, including the Follow-Up Testing Plan. Not in the Clearinghouse.

So eligible means the driver may test. It does not tell anyone what to test for. That is a common and costly mix-up.

The takeaway: the plan comes from the SAP, not the Clearinghouse. Eligible does not mean cleared to test.

ASK A SAP!® is the State of Arkansas's most trusted Substance Abuse Professional resource.

📌 Questions about DOT drug and alcohol testing, the role of a SAP, or the Return-to-Duty process? ASK A SAP!® Follow this page so you always have the facts.

08/19/2026

ASK A SAP!® Question of the Day

Changing jobs while you are on a follow-up testing plan? Your plan goes with you, and it does not start over. Here is what that means.

If you had a DOT drug or alcohol violation, completed the Return-to-Duty process, and you are still working through your follow-up testing plan, that obligation does not end when you change employers. It follows you.

Here is what happens under 49 CFR Part 40:

🔹 Your new (gaining) employer must check with your previous employer. After you give written consent, they make a good faith effort to obtain your DOT testing information, including proof you completed the Return-to-Duty requirements and your follow-up testing history.

🔹 Your SAP set the plan. That plan says whether your follow-up tests are for drugs, alcohol, or both, and the total number of tests across your schedule, which can run 12 to 60 months. Your previous employer has been tracking how many you have completed.

🔹 Your previous employer reports how many follow-up tests you have already completed. This is why your new employer does not simply take your word for the count.

🔹 Your new (gaining) employer becomes responsible for your remaining follow-up tests. Under 49 CFR 40.307(e), your plan follows you to new employers and through breaks in service.

🔹 Your new (gaining) employer must keep a written, confidential record of what they obtained or tried to obtain, for three years from your first day performing safety-sensitive duties.

Why you should know this: your follow-up plan is tied to you, not to a job, and it does not reset when you change employers. Understanding that up front means no surprises when you start somewhere new, and it helps you finish the process the right way.

ASK A SAP!® is the State of Arkansas's most trusted Substance Abuse Professional resource.

Questions about DOT drug and alcohol testing, the role of a SAP, or the Return-to-Duty process? ASK A SAP!® Follow this page so you always have the facts.